ot untruly), where true faith was present, a person might be
anything in profession; an Arminian, a Calvinist, an Episcopalian, a
Presbyterian, a Swedenborgian--nay, a Unitarian--he would go further,
looking at White, a Papist, yet be in a state of salvation.

Freeborn came out rather more strongly than in his sober moments he
would have approved; but he was a little irritated, and wished to have
his turn of speaking. It was altogether a great testification.

"Thank you for your liberality to the poor Papists," said White; "it
seems they are safe if they are hypocrites, professing to be Catholics,
while they are Protestants in heart."

"Unitarians, too," said Sheffield, "are debtors to your liberality; it
seems a man need not fear to believe too little, so that he feels a good
deal."

"Rather," said White, "if he believes himself forgiven, he need not
believe anything else."

Reding put in his word; he said that in the Prayer Book, belief in the
Holy Trinity was represented, not as an accident, but as "before all
things" necessary to salvation.

"That's not a fair answer, Reding," said Sheffield; "what Mr. Freeborn
observed was, that there's no creed in the Bible; and you answer that
there is a creed in the Prayer Book."

"Then the Bible says one thing, and the Prayer Book another," said
Bateman.

"No," answered Freeborn; "The Prayer Book only _deduces_ from Scripture;
the Athanasian Creed is a human invention; true, but human, and to be
received, as one of the Articles expressly says, because 'founded on
Scripture.' Creeds are useful in their place, so is the Church; but
neither Creed nor Church is religion."

"Then why do you make so much of your doctrine of 'faith only'?" said
Bateman; "for that is not in Scripture, and is but a human deduction."

"_My_ doctrine!" cried Freeborn; "why it's in the Articles; the Articles
expressly say that we are justified by faith only."

"The Articles are not Scripture any more than the Prayer Book," said
Sheffield.

"Nor do the Articles say that the doctrine they propound is necessary
for salvation," added Bateman.

All this was very unfair on Freeborn, though he had provoked it. Here
were four persons on him at once, and the silent fifth apparently a
sympathiser. Sheffield talked through malice; White from habit; Reding
came in because he could not help it; and Bateman spoke on principle; he
had a notion that he was improving Freeborn's views by this process of
bad